Diagnosis and arthroscopic treatment of fibrous impingement of the ankle

An account is given of the long-term (mean 23.5 months) results observed after the arthroscopic removal of anterolateral fibrous impingement in 67 patients (including 32 sportspersons) with a history of chronic sprain-induced ankle pain refractory to nonoperative management lasting about 4 months. The follow-up ratings were: 73% excellent-good, 16.4% fair and 10.6% poor. The high percentage of satisfactory results and the resumption of sport at their previous level by 21 athletes show that arthroscopy is the method of choice for the treatment of local synovial lesions in post-sprain pain syndromes. The presence of moderate/serious chondral lesions (2(nd) and 3(rd) degree according to Bauer) was responsible for a poor prognosis in this series.